The invention relates to a fastening composition and a process for fixing an article to a substrate.
A specific area of application for the process in question, respectively the fastening composition in question, is for attaching articles to the walls of buildings and the like. In particular in bathroom and kitchen areas, the walls are provided with coverings such as different types of tiles, as well as stone slabs or marble slabs. The process, however, relates in general to the most varied areas of application, such as the field of aircraft construction, ship construction and steel construction.
Fastening means in the form of screws, in particular, can be used in a manner known per se to attach equipment items such as pieces of furniture, light fixtures and sanitary equipment fixtures such as towel holders or the like. Bore holes must first be inserted into the walls for this, however, wherein dowels are then inserted into these bore holes. These bore holes are generally worked into the joints between the tiles to prevent damage to the expensive wall coverings consisting of tiles and the like, thereby undesirably limiting the locations for installing the fastening means. In cases where the fastening location for an equipment item must be changed again after some time, it is a further disadvantage that the bore holes are visibly exposed at the old location, thus considerably detracting from the total optical impression of the wall, even if the bore holes are subsequently filled with a filler material.
To avoid these disadvantages, attempts have been made to replace fastening means in the form of screws by using adhesive materials.
In the simplest case, adhesive strips can be used for this, wherein a double-sided adhesive tape is used for the simplest case. One disadvantage encountered with fastening means of this type is that they will detach again over time. A further disadvantage is that no heavy equipment pieces can be attached to the walls with these adhesive strips.
Also conceivable in principle is the use of aerobic adhesives as fastening compositions for attaching articles to substrates, such as to the walls of a room in a building. One problem with this type of use is that said aerobic adhesives must harden for several hours and that moisture must be supplied to the aerobic adhesives. However, if a layer of aerobic adhesive is applied to the article and the article is then pressed together with the layer of aerobic adhesive against the substrate, the layer which is located between the substrate and the article is closed off from the ambient air, so that a hardening of the aerobic adhesive is no longer possible.
A mounting system which permits the use of aerobic adhesives of this type is known from the document WO 03/036106.
This mounting system is used for the stationary attachment of items such as towel holders, shelves, light fixtures or similar equipment pieces on a wall, a ceiling or a similar surface, in particular in rooms where the walls are covered with tiles, marble slabs or similar coverings. The mounting system consists of different types of fastening elements, as well as an adhesive and joining agent which can be an aerobic adhesive. The fastening elements consist of sintered metals for which the shape must be adapted in dependence on the application purpose. These types of systems have the disadvantage of very long hardening times for the adhesive which can take up to 12 hours, thereby considerably reducing the ease of installation of these systems.
The fastening element is designed to accommodate a different element for holding in place the item and comprises a basic body, provided with a recess on the back that is facing the wall, as well as a filling opening which empties into the latter and is used to insert an adhesive or joining agent between the fastening element and the wall.
To allow air displaced by the adhesive or joining agent inserted into the recess to escape, the fastening element is provided with at least one liquid-permeable or gas-permeable opening which extends from the recess to a different surface of the fastening element and which can accommodate the surplus adhesive or joining agent.
The basic body back which is facing the wall is permeable to liquid and gas, at least in some parts, such that the gas which develops inside the recess during the hardening of the adhesive and joining agent can escape, respectively the volatile binding agents can vaporize, and ambient air can simultaneously reach this adhesive and joining agent, thereby causing this agent to harden and ensure a stable, load-bearing attachment of the fastening means on the wall.
The disadvantage of this type of embodiment of the basic body is that it requires considerable additional structural expenditure and, in particular, also limits the free design of the fastening means.